South Africa’s Athlete and Olympic Champion, Caster Semenya cleared to compete by a Swiss Court, without taking testosterone-reducing medication. The Swiss court in a judgement on Monday ordered athletics’ governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations, to suspend implementation of new regulations while Semenya’s appeal is pending.
Caster Semenya cleared after the Court ruled that the two-time Olympic 800-meter champion is clear to race in events of all distances.
According to the reports, Caster Semenya who lost her appeal against rules designed to decrease naturally high testosterone levels in some female runners after the IAAF instigated a controversial policy which required athletes with a difference in sex development (DSD) to take medication to reduce their blood testosterone levels, if they wanted to compete internationally at middle-distance events, will now be hoping on a favourale outcome on her appeal.
IAAF planned to reduce the testosterone limit level from 10 nanomoles per litre to five for female athletes, while Caster Semenya will need about up to three times the testosterone levels of the average woman. But this judgement now gives her hope of competing, as she reacted to the judgement saying:
“I am thankful to the Swiss judges for this decision,” Semenya said in a statement. “I hope that following my appeal I will once again be able to run free.”
The IAAF’s proposals would require women with elevated testosterone levels to either take medication to reduce their levels or run against men if they wish to continue competing.
…still a developing story…